The invention relates to an electronic device for a motor vehicle, having an electronics unit designed for switching high currents in a two-part housing, a capacitor unit being present to suppress the interference signals produced by the high currents.
Controllers are known which, in addition to the control electronics, also contain a power output stage for driving an actuator in the motor vehicle. For driving the actuator, such as an electric motor for window lifting mechanisms or for producing a valve stroke in a motor vehicle, the power output stages supply high currents. In the case of clocked driving, the switching of the high currents produces interference signals inside the controller, the levels of these interference signals being many times higher than the levels of the signals processed by the control electronics. The physically close arrangement of these different circuits in a controller means that the signals in the control device are affected by these electromagnetic interference signals. To produce electromagnetic compatibility for these two arrangements, the controllers have electrically connected capacitors which compensate for the interference signals.
In operation, the power electronics and the capacitors both produce a high heat loss which is dissipated to the surroundings via the housing.
This requires comprehensive designs for the housing in the form of cooling ribs to dissipate the heat produced quickly.